After surviving a frightening encounter during Liberia's civil war, Nigerian-born dentist Colonel Dr Gabriel Ishioye migrated to the United States, joined the Army Reserve and built a career in military leadership while confronting discrimination and preserving his Yoruba identity....
After surviving a frightening encounter during Liberia’s civil war, Nigerian-born dentist Colonel Dr Gabriel Isioye migrated to the United States, joined the Army Reserve and built a career in military leadership while confronting discrimination and preserving his Yoruba identity.
When Colonel Dr Gabriel Isioye left Liberia for the United States, he carried with him memories of a frightening encounter during the country’s civil war and the determination to build a different future.
Years later, he would rise through the ranks of the US Army Reserve, become a commander responsible for more than 700 personnel and establish a private dental practice in New York.
Yet his journey was not simply a story of professional advancement. It was also one of survival, adaptation, confronting prejudice and finding ways to remain connected to his Nigerian roots while building a life abroad.
Speaking on Diaspora Connect, Ishioye traced the experiences that shaped his decision to join the American military and the lessons he learnt while navigating professional and cultural challenges in the United States.
A dangerous encounter that changed his outlook
Before moving to the United States, Isioye spent six years in Liberia, where he lived during the country’s civil war.
He described an encounter with an armed rebel who stopped him and demanded to know his ethnic identity.
At the time, Isioye was not a soldier. However, faced with an unpredictable and potentially deadly situation, he said he identified himself as an ECOWAS soldier.
He recalled that the response helped him escape the confrontation.
“I almost got killed by a Chiller fighter,” he said, describing the experience during the interview.
He explained that the encounter left a lasting impression on him and influenced his subsequent decision to enlist in the US Army Reserve after migrating to America.
“So when I left Liberia and migrated to the United States, I’m like, okay, I think I need to join the military,” he recalled.
He said the experience made him think about learning how to handle firearms and acquiring military skills.
“In 2002, I decided to join the US Army,” he said.
His decision marked the beginning of a military career that would develop alongside his work as a dental surgeon.
Building a career across two professions
Unlike full-time military personnel, Isioye explained that his service in the US Army Reserve allowed him to maintain a civilian career while fulfilling military duties.
He opened his private dental practice in September 2003, a year after joining the Army Reserve.
The arrangement required him to manage two demanding responsibilities: treating patients and running a business while remaining available for military assignments.
According to him, having a dependable professional support network was essential whenever he had to leave his practice for military duties.
“I’ve been lucky, you know, I have people that, you know, support group that will come and help me with my private practice when I’m away,” he said.
His military responsibilities eventually expanded beyond clinical dentistry.
He served as chief dental officer at the Eighth Medical Brigade and held command positions across several US Army medical units before becoming commander of the 818th Hospital Centre in Utica, New York.
In the role, he oversees more than 700 personnel.
Ishioye explained that senior military leadership requires a shift from direct clinical work towards administration, planning and managing personnel.
He also noted that private practice comes with business responsibilities that are less prominent in military clinical assignments.
Running his own practice requires him to manage overhead costs, staff salaries, supplies and patient relationships, while military service involves operating within an established command structure.
His experience illustrates the demands of maintaining professional independence while meeting the responsibilities of a structured military organisation.
Facing discrimination as a Black officer
Despite his achievements, Isioye said life in the United States has not always been easy.
He spoke candidly about the discrimination he experienced as a Black officer in the US Army, describing how his Nigerian accent and background sometimes appeared to shape other people’s perceptions of him.
He recalled situations in which he felt others assumed he was less capable because he was an African immigrant.
“They just look at you like you’re not smart,” he said, describing some of the attitudes he encountered.
Rather than allowing those experiences to define his career, Ishioye said he relied on his education, professional competence and determination to continue advancing.
His training at the University of Lagos remained an important source of confidence.
“When I look at the kind of education Nigeria gave me from the University of Lagos, up to today, I don’t think any country can beat,” he said.
He also argued that Black professionals should not allow discriminatory attitudes to undermine their sense of worth or their ambitions.
“But you just try and overlook that and tell yourself you can do better than them,” he said.
His account adds a personal dimension to the experience of highly skilled African professionals who migrate in search of opportunities but may still encounter racial stereotypes in their adopted countries.
For Ishioye, professional advancement required not only technical competence but also the resilience to continue working in environments where he sometimes felt underestimated.
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The struggle to preserve his Nigerian identity
While building his professional life in America, Isioye also faced another challenge: maintaining his connection to Nigeria.
He said that after spending many years abroad, he noticed that his ability to speak Yoruba was declining.
The realisation prompted him to become more involved in the Nigerian community.
He joined the Egbe Omo Yoruba Descent Union, initially serving as its public relations officer before becoming its president in the United States from 2010 to 2014.
He also developed a personal routine to regain his fluency, deliberately speaking Yoruba with Nigerians whenever he could.
“Every evening when I’m coming from work, I would make sure I call a Nigerian person, and I don’t speak English. I would just speak Yoruba to you on the phone until I get home,” he said.
He explained that preserving his language was important because it represented a connection to his origins that he did not want to lose.
“I can’t lose my Yoruba identity,” he said.
His experience reflects a challenge familiar to many migrants: while adapting to a new society, they must also make deliberate efforts to retain the language, traditions and relationships that connect them to home.
Passing Nigerian culture to the next generation
Ishioye acknowledged that preserving cultural identity can become more difficult when children grow up in a different country.
He said his two daughters have been raised in different cultural environments, making it challenging to ensure that they maintain strong connections to their Nigerian heritage.
He also acknowledged that the demands of his work have made frequent visits to Nigeria difficult.
“Along the way, sometimes we do lose our kids to the new environment that we migrated to,” he said.
Nevertheless, he believes the increasing popularity of Nigerian music and culture could encourage younger members of the diaspora to take a greater interest in their roots.
His experience highlights the responsibility many immigrant parents face in helping their children understand their family histories while allowing them to grow up within their adopted society.
For Ishioye, cultural identity is not something that can be preserved automatically. It requires communication, engagement and consistent effort.
His warning to Nigerians planning to emigrate
After years of living and working abroad, Isioye urged young Nigerians to think carefully before deciding to leave the country.
He cautioned against assuming that migration automatically leads to professional fulfilment or financial security.
He said prospective migrants should research the opportunities available in their intended destinations and consider whether they would be able to practise their professions.
“You have to look before you jump,” he advised.
He warned that some Nigerians who leave home in search of better prospects may find themselves unable to work in their chosen fields or trapped in difficult employment conditions.
“You might have a profession, and you say, ‘I want to leave the country,’ and you might end up not even practising your profession and you might even be a slave in another man’s country,” he said.
His advice was not that Nigerians should avoid migration, but that they should make informed decisions based on realistic expectations and a clear understanding of their abilities.
He also urged young people to consider the personal consequences of their ambitions, including how their career choices might affect family life.
“Maybe your calling, your success is at home in Nigeria. You don’t know, but you need to know who you are before you jump,” he said.
The message reflects the perspective of a migrant who has achieved significant professional milestones abroad but remains conscious of the sacrifices, uncertainties and adjustments that accompany life in another country.
A career shaped by service and resilience
Ishioye’s journey from Nigeria through Liberia to the United States has involved a series of decisions that changed the direction of his life.
An unexpected choice of university course led to dentistry. A dangerous encounter in Liberia influenced his decision to join the US Army Reserve. His determination to advance professionally helped him navigate discrimination and take on senior leadership responsibilities.
Along the way, he established a dental practice, served the Nigerian community in the United States and worked to recover a language he feared he was losing.
His experience demonstrates that success abroad can involve far more than professional qualifications. It can demand resilience, adaptability, strong support networks and a deliberate effort to preserve one’s identity.
For young Nigerians considering a similar journey, Isioye’s message is to prepare thoroughly, understand their goals and avoid mistaking migration itself for a guarantee of success.
His story is ultimately about building a future in a foreign country without forgetting where the journey began.